In a country where Indians make up 30 percent of the 12.5 million population, Gutierrez is a dark-skinned mestizo like the majority of Ecuadoreans -- an exception to the rule of white Ecuadorean presidents.
Jaime Duran, a public opinion analyst, said racism is a factor in the opposition Gutierrez has faced in Quito, home to Ecuador's European-descended political and social elite.
"Poor people identify with him. The more educated the person being surveyed is, the more he hates Gutierrez, while the less educated he is, the more he supports him," Duran said.
Gutierrez said his power base is in the shantytowns of the cities and in the small towns of the interior.
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